Silent — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈsī-lənt/ si·lent

Meaning & Definition of Silent

Silent (adjective)

  1. making no utterance, not speaking or making noise
  2. tending to speak very little, not loquacious
  3. free from sound or noise, still

Silent (noun)

  1. a movie made without spoken dialogue —usually used in plural
  2. a person born in the U.S. from about 1928 to 1945, a person belonging to the Silent Generation

Silent (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. deliberately refraining from speech

    "the suddenly silent child had to be prompted to say hello"

    similar: mum, mute, muted, speechless, uncommunicative, wordless
    related: inarticulate, tongue-tied, nonvocal, voiceless, dumbstruck, sulking, sulky, sullen
    opposite: communicative, speaking, talking
    near: articulate, eloquent, fluent, voluble, well-spoken, gabby, garrulous, loquacious, talkative, talky, outspoken, unreserved, vocal, facile, glib, silver-tongued, smooth-tongued

  2. tending not to speak frequently (as by habit or inclination)

    "a naturally silent boy, he was often overshadowed by his louder siblings"

    similar: closemouthed, dumb, laconic, reserved, reticent, taciturn, tight-lipped, uncommunicative
    related: aloof, indrawn, inhibited, introverted, restrained, sedate, self-contained, sober, staid, backward, bashful, coy, demure, diffident, modest, retiring, self-effacing, sheepish
    opposite: blabby, chatty, communicative, conversational, gabby, garrulous, loquacious, motormouthed, mouthy, talkative, talky, unreserved
    near: free-spoken, outspoken, vocal, gossipy, talebearing, diffuse, long-winded, prolix, rambling, verbose, windy, wordy, extroverted, gregarious, outgoing, sociable

  3. mostly or entirely without sound

    "the room was so silent that you could have heard the proverbial pin drop"

    similar: hushed, muted, noiseless, quiet, quieted, soundless, still, stilly
    related: calm, peaceable, peaceful, serene, tranquil
    opposite: noisy, rackety, unquiet, uproarious
    near: boisterous, clamorous, clangorous, clattering, clattery, raucous, rip-roaring, roaring, roistering, tumultuous

Silent (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in talkie

    similar: talkie, animated cartoon, cartoon, docudrama, documentary, feature, featurette, short, short subject, B movie, B picture, cofeature, film, flick, flicker, motion picture, movie, moving picture, picture

Related Entry: Silent treatment (noun)

Silent treatment is a different word from Silent. The synonyms below are for silent treatment, not for silent.

  1. treatment that is deliberately unfriendly

    "ever since our run-in at the party she's been giving me the silent treatment"

    similar: brush-off, cold shoulder, rebuff, repulse, snub
    related: dismissal, kiss-off, rejection, banishment, blackball, ostracism
    opposite: open arms
    near: acceptance, embrace, welcome, glad hand, welcome mat

Related Entry: Silent auction (noun)

Silent auction is a different word from Silent. The synonyms below are for silent auction, not for silent.

  1. as in auction

    similar: auction, deal, sale, trade, transaction, haggle, horse-trading, negotiation, bargain, buy, steal, purchase, clearance, closeout, fire sale, fair, garage sale, jumble sale (British), rummage sale, tag sale, yard sale

Related Entry: Silent auctions (noun)

Silent auctions is a different word from Silent. The synonyms below are for silent auctions, not for silent.

  1. as in auctions

    similar: auctions, deals, sales, trades, transactions, haggles, negotiations, bargains, buys, steals, purchases, clearances, closeouts, fire sales, fairs, garage sales, jumble sales (British), rummage sales, tag sales, yard sales

Related Entry: Silent treatments (noun)

Silent treatments is a different word from Silent. The synonyms below are for silent treatments, not for silent.

  1. treatment that is deliberately unfriendly

    "ever since our run-in at the party she's been giving me the silent treatment"

    similar: brush-offs, cold shoulders, rebuffs, repulses, snubs
    related: dismissals, kiss-offs, rejections, banishments, blackballs, ostracisms
    opposite: open arms
    near: acceptances, embraces, welcomes, glad hands, welcome mats

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Silent

The most common words with a similar meaning to Silent:

mum, mute, muted, speechless, uncommunicative, wordless, closemouthed, dumb, laconic, reserved, reticent, taciturn, tight-lipped, hushed, noiseless, quiet, quieted, soundless, still, stilly, talkie, animated cartoon, cartoon, docudrama, documentary, feature, featurette, short, short subject, B movie, B picture, cofeature, film, flick, flicker, motion picture, movie, moving picture, picture

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Silent

Words with the opposite meaning of Silent:

communicative, speaking, talking, blabby, chatty, conversational, gabby, garrulous, loquacious, motormouthed, mouthy, talkative, talky, unreserved, noisy, rackety, unquiet, uproarious

Related Words for Silent

inarticulate, tongue-tied, nonvocal, voiceless, dumbstruck, sulking, sulky, sullen, aloof, indrawn, inhibited, introverted, restrained, sedate, self-contained, sober, staid, backward, bashful, coy, demure, diffident, modest, retiring, self-effacing, sheepish, calm, peaceable, peaceful, serene

Near Antonyms of Silent

articulate, eloquent, fluent, voluble, well-spoken, outspoken, vocal, facile, glib, silver-tongued, smooth-tongued, free-spoken, gossipy, talebearing, diffuse, long-winded, prolix, rambling, verbose, windy, wordy, extroverted, gregarious, outgoing, sociable, boisterous, clamorous, clangorous, clattering, clattery

Word Forms of Silent

Derived words: silently (adverb), silentness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Silent

Middle English sylent, from Latin silent-, silens, from present participle of silēre to be silent; akin to Goth anasilan to cease, grow calm

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Silent

Words & Phrases Containing Silent

silent auction, silent butler, Silent Generation, silent migraine, silent partner, silent service, silent treatment, silent leges inter arma

Frequently Asked Questions about Silent

What does "Silent" mean?

"Silent" means making no utterance, not speaking or making noise. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: making no utterance, not speaking or making noise. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Silent"?

Other words for "Silent" include mum, mute, muted, speechless, uncommunicative, wordless, closemouthed and dumb. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Silent" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Silent"?

There are 70 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Silent". Common alternatives include mum, mute, muted, speechless, uncommunicative, wordless, closemouthed, dumb, laconic and reserved.

What is the opposite of "Silent"?

Antonyms of "Silent" include communicative, speaking, talking, blabby, chatty, conversational, gabby and garrulous. Near antonyms include articulate, eloquent, fluent and voluble.

How do you use "Silent" in a sentence?

Examples of "Silent" in a sentence: "the suddenly silent child had to be prompted to say hello"; "a naturally silent boy, he was often overshadowed by his louder siblings"; "the room was so silent that you could have heard the proverbial pin drop".

Is "Silent" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Silent" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Silent" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Silent" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Silent"?

"Silent" is pronounced /ˈsī-lənt/ and divided into syllables as si·lent.